Fishing on Wolli Creek c1900

Aboriginal people of the Cooks River valley

For the Eora people, the Cooks River valley was a crossroad for trade, social and ceremonial networks but when the first European settlers ventured south, their explorations brought death and destruction to the clans

Bark huts and country estates

In their drive to establish country estates and thriving industries in the Cooks River valley during the nineteenth century, European settlers exploited the water, timber and fertile soils of the Cooks River with little appreciation of the impact of their 'improvements'

From a fine stream to an industrial watercourse

As Sydney expanded in the nineteenth century the picturesque waterways and valleys of the Cooks River were to host a network of waterworks and rail and road infrastructure that were to degrade the landscape forever.

Industry in the Cooks River valley

As industry took hold in Cooks River valley, pollution and drainage became entrenched problems accompanied by flooding and public health concerns.

Urban growth in the Cooks River valley

Urbanisation, industry and pollution transformed the once lush Aboriginal hunting grounds and picturesque locale of the Cooks River valley into the inner city suburban sprawl we know today

Servicing Sydney's thirst

Increasing population and industry saw the Cooks River transformed from a pristine natural watercourse into a highly modified and polluted river

First people of the Cooks River

From beyond the time when the river flowed as Europeans came to know it, and long after its banks were dotted with farms, Aboriginal people have had a strong connection to the Cooks River.